Woman appearing overwhelmed and tired at a desk—visual representation of ADHD burnout.
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What ADHD Burnout Really Feels Like and Looks Like

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Emotional Regulation, Blog

If you’re dealing with ADHD burnout, and lately everything feels harder, it might be more than your usual run-of-the-mill tiredness. I was on Zoom with a client the other day, and she looked tired, for sure. But it was more than that. She seemed worn out and discouraged. So when I asked about a project she’d hoped to move forward with, she closed her eyes, put her hand to her forehead, and said, “No… I didn’t do that.” I could tell she felt like she was letting herself down. Now, no doubt, she was still doing a lot, still functioning on the outside. But inside, she was running on empty. What Exactly Is Burnout? Before we go further, let’s just make sure we’re talking about…

Person using a laptop with AI chatbot interface on screen, symbolizing the use of ChatGPT for productivity or ADHD support.
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ChatGPT and ADHD: A Surprisingly Good Match

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

I know that as an adult with ADHD, you’ve likely tried countless ADHD tools promising to make your life easier — but often, learning how to use them ends up feeling like more work than it’s worth. So when you hear about ChatGPT, an AI chatbot that’s all over the news, it’s totally normal to wonder: I hear you. Before you decide, hear me out—because ChatGPT might just be the flexible kind of help you need, especially if you’re willing to approach it with an experimental mindset. What is ChatGPT — Really? Think of ChatGPT as a chat buddy who can help you brainstorm, plan, draft emails, organize your scattered thoughts, and more. It’s not magic or judgmental — it’s just a tool that responds…

Woman with ADHD participating in a virtual job interview on her desktop
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Job Interviewing With ADHD: Practical Strategies for Success

ByMarla Cummins ADHD in the Workplace, Blog

Navigating job interviews can be challenging for anyone, no doubt. However, as an adult with ADHD, you might face unique hurdles, such as difficulties organizing your thoughts and managing your time effectively. But once you know what your challenges are, you can adopt the strategies you need to have a successful interview. Really! Understanding the ADHD Interview Experience First, a little more about what some of your ADHD-related challenges might be. Adults with ADHD may find interviews particularly taxing due to difficulties with attention regulation, impulsivity, and working memory. What this can mean, for example, is that you might forget key points, interrupt the interviewer, or struggle to stay on topic. In addition, if emotional dysregulation is one of your challenges, you may become anxious…

ADHD and Frustration
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Ready To Manage Your Frustration Better?

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Emotional Regulation, Blog

One of the executive function challenges for adults with ADHD is “managing frustration and modulating your emotions”. So, well, of course, there are many reasons you may get frustrated, understanding and addressing your frustration as a symptom of ADHD is key to making this better. A former client even asked whether it was “possible for frustration not to be their dominant emotion.” The answer is, yes, of course, but it will take time and skill-building. Right now, you may become angry and frustrated much more easily and quicker than your neurotypical peers. The key to addressing this is to both honor those feelings and act in a way that is in sync with your values. Come along as we go on a journey to get…

Yes, No, Maybe choices representing decision fatigue with ADHD
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Are These 5 Decision-Making Traps Keeping You Stuck?

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Planning & Prioritizing, Blog

Making decisions is one of the executive challenges for ADHD Adults. Do you have a hard time with decision-making?  Let’s look at the example of a former client, who emailed me a description of his difficulties making decisions (posted below with permission). I’m really struggling to make any decisions in almost any scenario. Like, choosing between 2 things, choosing to get rid of something. I get a sense of panic/anxiety, as well as a sense of frustration. Logic makes no difference. The magnitude of the decision makes no difference. Trust in someone else to “make” the decision makes little difference (I still have to pull the trigger). When I do make the decision, I hold my nose, squelch the butterflies and just do it on…

Picture with paper cut so it reads "I can" instead of "I can't" to illustrate motivation for ADHD adults.
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8 Strategies To Use To Make Executing Easier

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Follow-Through, Blog

When you have ADHD, starting and executing can be difficult, no doubt. But these are also skills that can be learned. Though it takes time. Are you ready for the ride? It will be a combination of strategies and skills that you build. So, you can get unstuck and back on track faster when you’re having a hard time getting started and following through. Know Your Why While certainly not the only strategy, it is important to know why accomplishing a task is important to you. At the same time, it is true that for many adults with ADHD, you may still have a hard time starting a task, even if it is important, if it is not intrinsically interesting to you. So, in the…

7 Tips ADHD Adults Can Use To Plan A Productive Day
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How To Plan A Productive Day With ADHD

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Follow-Through, Blog

How do you plan your days so you are sure you are working toward your goals in alignment with your values? I know that is what you want to do. But right now, you may start each day wondering how you are going to get “everything.” Then, at the end of the day, you may feel like you didn’t get enough done. Some days you may even feel like you didn’t get anything done! It’s frustrating to start and end your day like this, for sure. What Does The Beginning Of Your Day Look Like? Maybe you start your day by stopping for coffee on the way to work. You get to the office, maybe a little later than you planned. The first thing you…

ADHD and Notetaking For Meetings
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ADHD and Notetaking For Meetings

ByMarla Cummins ADHD in the Workplace, Blog

(originally published May 31,2012 updated September 5, 20224 Do you ever struggle to take notes in a meeting? Alternatively, do you take notes sometimes only to later look at them and wonder what they mean. You just can’t make sense of them. And you can’t remember what was said. Unless you take good notes that you can also decipher later, following up from meetings can be frustrating.  It might be even embarrassing, if you need to go back and ask people from the meeting. But you can make it easier for yourself by adopting a system for taking and reviewing notes. Distracted? One benefit of taking notes during a meeting is to help you focus on what is going on in the meeting. It may…

ADHD and Making Choices
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Overwhelmed by too Many Choices? Here are the Solutions for ADHD Adults

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Planning & Prioritizing, Blog

(originally published January 4, 2018, updated August 28, 2024)It can be overwhelming for Adults with ADHD to make decisions among many options. At the same time it may seem that having a lot of options is a good thing. At least according to our consumer culture. But this is not always the case when you take into account the energy and stress involved in choosing between so many options The quote below from a current client (reprinted with permission) shows what a struggle it can be. I’m really struggling to make any decisions in almost any scenario. Like, choosing between 2 things, choosing to get rid of something. I get a sense of panic/anxiety, as well as, a sense of frustration. Logic makes no difference….

ADHD and Using the Urgent – Important Matrix
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ADHD and Using the Urgent – Important Matrix

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Time Management, Blog

You might find it hard to decide what to do each day, wondering where to direct your time and energy. Then you get overwhelmed and confused trying to decide what to do on your runway, GTD lingo for all of your discrete tasks(emails, phone calls, next actions on your projects, etc.) Then you might end up doing what feels the most urgent or interesting. Yet you might not necessarily do what is most important. One way to turn this around is to use the Urgent – Important Matrix and ask yourself: And decide what to do each day. IMPORTANT AND URGENT – QUADRANT 1 If you have too much in Quadrant 1, you are putting too much on your plate, and you are likely also…